Honolulu, HI - Newly awarded grant funding through the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is boosting support for local projects addressing diverse aspects of urban and community forestry. The range of topics includes management plans at the county level, building capacity to expand agroforestry and food access, distributing trees grown by residents, and planting and caring for street and park trees.

The Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program, part of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), will support the following three-year projects with U.S. Forest Service funding from the IRA:

- 'Elepaio Social Services’ A'o Pulapula Cultural Agroforestry Nursery Project will establish a community tree nursery and host education and outreach events to serve communities in Wai'anae, Makaha, and Nanakuli. The project will build community capacity to care for and propagate indigenous trees.

- County of Maui Department of Management’s Maui Urban Forest Management Plan – Building Capacity and Partnerships and Advancing Equity in Community Forestry will develop the first urban forest management plan for the island of Maui and engage community groups through the planning process.

- Grow Some Good’s project Na Mala Kaiaulu: Cultivating Resilient Communities through Agroforestry will establish an intergenerational food forest with community partners as a strategic response to interconnected challenges of food security, cultural preservation, and climate resilience.

- Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, Inc., Restorative Resilience: Growing a Community Landscape for Lahaina responds to the Kahoma Village residents’ request to transform a public green space into an urban forest. The benefits of the project include food forest cultivation, community engagement events, and demonstrating Reef Friendly Landscaping.

- Moloka'i Land Trust’s project, Community Plant Production and Monthly Tree Giveaway for the Island of Moloka'i will increase native tree production and distribution across the island and offer supporting educational events and workshops to students and community members with a focus on successful seedling establishment and growth.

- Trees for Honolulu’s Future’s project, Trees for Palolo…Planting Trees, Growing Community will increase tree canopy and food security, and offer support to the Palolo community to manage newly planted trees along streets and in parks and yards.

Dr. Heather McMillen, Hawai‘i’s Urban Forester and Kaulunani Program Coordinator, celebrates each grant recipient, stating: “These projects demonstrate the depth and range of urban and community forestry work happening in Hawai'i, as well as the vital role trees play in promoting public health, connection to place, and restoring land to 'aina.”

Koki Atcheson, Kaulunani IRA Community Partnerships Coordinator, said, “Urban and community forestry projects are unique in their ability to offer simultaneous benefits to ecological, social, and food systems among many others. These awards are evidence of organizations’ thorough preparation and effort to deepen relationships with na kumu la'au (trees) and by doing so, shape a more resilient future for Hawai'i.”